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AS students: how far are you in your revision?

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Original post by LeaX
Has anyone started past-papers yet? If so, what kind of grades have you been getting?

I've done a few and haven't been doing too well, kinda losing morale haha.

When doing past papers, you should always focus on the positives.

E.g. "Horrah I know ____, I did well on ___ questions, now I don't have to revise ____ that much anymore"

It is very normal to be doing not-so-well at this point.
Reply 121
I've started doing bits and pieces of all of my subjects but will really crack on when I finish tomorrow.
Reply 122
Original post by Llewellyn
When doing past papers, you should always focus on the positives.

E.g. "Horrah I know ____, I did well on ___ questions, now I don't have to revise ____ that much anymore"

It is very normal to be doing not-so-well at this point.


Aha you've made me feel a bit better. Had a quick flick through a past paper tonight and had a mini freak out at how I know nothing :redface:
Reply 123
Original post by dragonkeeper999
Only started revision yesterday :s-smilie: one of my friends has been revising for months! Have put together a rather ambitious revision timetable with 6 hours a day of revision. Am already behind!!! Is it better to do exam papers or just copy out notes/ do revision workbooks? I spent the entire Christmas holidays revising for just 4 exams, but this time I've got three times as many and less free time to revise :s-smilie: And we haven't even finished the course for physics, further maths and chemistry! We have a whole section on Quantum Mechanics in physics to learn, which sounds rather frightening with only 6 weeks until the exam! Anyone else panicking!?


If you're doing further maths you're probably doing M1 at the moment, I wouldnt worry about quantum mechanics! its just M1 but easier :smile:
Original post by TheStudent.
I'm an A2 student, and i've got to say, its great you've started your revision early! I remember cramming a week before the exam :biggrin: trying to get all my notes together .. still got a B though :biggrin:.

I would advise you to pay close attention to the mark scheme when you're revising. You can satisfy A01 by writing as many essays as possible :tongue: hand them into your teacher :biggrin:
If you've got two english teachers (i do), try to give them an equal number of essays lol. One of my teachers had a go at me for never handing him essays :biggrin: suprising to say the least!

A02 is concerned with language analysis. I'm notttttt particularly sure about going into detail on each key theme. To be completely honest with you, I don't think you need to do that at all :confused: symbols are fine...
If you're with AQA, spec B, then you'll find that Section A little a) questions are usually worded as, "How does [author name] tell the story in chapter x / poem x". So talking about 1 underlying key theme, and explaining how thats used to tell the story, is relevant - talking about more than 1 verges on irrelevant/repetition. Themes aren't the only means of telling a story.
So.. obviously revise in a way that suits you!, but maybe look at each chapter in turn and devise a table consisting of each aspect of narrative, and write how they're used to tell the story + key quotes that include a literary technique.. like syntax, juxtaposition, pathetic falacy, ellipsis - anything :wink:

For the poems maybe look at their structure, rhyming pattern, lack of female voice (in Ulysses)...

Good luck! :smile: Revising early can only be a good thing! :biggrin:


Aha thanks! I am on AQA spec B and that section (a) question regarding 'How does X author tell the story in chapter X' is all about AO2, so I've made an A4 page on each of the chapters with the aspects of narrative used in each one like you said.

Well to get the highest marks on AO3, it's all about exploring different interpretations of language, so within the themes it is easy to have multiple interpretations of certain things so that is why I have been looking into them a lot. Hopefully all goes well in May!
Original post by Unsworth
Aha thanks! I am on AQA spec B and that section (a) question regarding 'How does X author tell the story in chapter X' is all about AO2, so I've made an A4 page on each of the chapters with the aspects of narrative used in each one like you said.

Well to get the highest marks on AO3, it's all about exploring different interpretations of language, so within the themes it is easy to have multiple interpretations of certain things so that is why I have been looking into them a lot. Hopefully all goes well in May!


Sounds great :biggrin:

Quite right, but i'm confused as to how you're going to incorporate that into an essay :tongue: could you give me an example from the Great Gatsby?
Original post by Llewellyn
When doing past papers, you should always focus on the positives.

E.g. "Horrah I know ____, I did well on ___ questions, now I don't have to revise ____ that much anymore"

It is very normal to be doing not-so-well at this point.


Lol! :biggrin: I did the complete opposite only yesterday. I completed a past paper, marked it, and wrote down around 5 bullet points on what I needed to improve on :colondollar:
Original post by TheStudent.
Lol! :biggrin: I did the complete opposite only yesterday. I completed a past paper, marked it, and wrote down around 5 bullet points on what I needed to improve on :colondollar:

That is how you improve though :biggrin: But it's important (especially around revision :unimpressed: time) to keep positive and motivated about your work and your progress. I don't know about you but after ~3 hours of forced (not voluntary) working, I don't feel great, so I always cheer myself up by reminding myself of what I've learned and what progress that made and what knock on effects (exam results, etc.) that will have.
Original post by ummm
What exam board are you on for chemistry?


AQA :smile:
Original post by Llewellyn
That is how you improve though :biggrin: But it's important (especially around revision :unimpressed: time) to keep positive and motivated about your work and your progress. I don't know about you but after ~3 hours of forced (not voluntary) working, I don't feel great, so I always cheer myself up by reminding myself of what I've learned and what progress that made and what knock on effects (exam results, etc.) that will have.


Quite right :biggrin: Going to take that on board :wink: i've taken in the advise you gave me in that PM anyways :biggrin: Listening to music when taking short breaks is genius! :biggrin: so thanks! but how do you manage to get all your notes written up for every single module in four days? :O
Original post by TheStudent.
Quite right :biggrin: Going to take that on board :wink: i've taken in the advise you gave me in that PM anyways :biggrin: Listening to music when taking short breaks is genius! :biggrin: so thanks! but how do you manage to get all your notes written up for every single module in four days? :O

Oh I didn't realise it was you :O sorry :smile:

When I work, I work. I can do ~15 hours a day quite readily. Also, just because the first module is in 4 days, not them all. My exams this time around last a month (8 exams) and some have a week gap between, so I use the time gap between to cross over revision (kinda). Although I do not recommend doing so! Don't be lazy like I am (especially over the holidays :colondollar:) start your work early, it helps :smile:
I've done 4 chapters out of 11 for maths, 5 out of like 17 for biology, and 3 out of 9 for chemistry.

I'm slightly behind but I've got time... right? :s-smilie:
I've done about 1/3 of my history course.
I've done about 1/4 of my english lit course.
I've done about 2/3 of my sociology.
I've done about 1/2 of my politics.

It will probably remain this way until three days before each respective exam.
Original post by TheStudent.
Sounds great :biggrin:

Quite right, but i'm confused as to how you're going to incorporate that into an essay :tongue: could you give me an example from the Great Gatsby?


So for Great Gatsby I can talk about the theme of the deterioration of the American Dream, which is all about how everyone strived for wealth, moved from West to East all in the pursuit of money and materialistic gain, often becoming deluded from the American Dream - Gatsby being an example of this. Then incorporate the symbol of the green light into it; how it is 'receding before us' and thus that can be a representation of the American Dream also 'receding' as people no longer know the meaning of 'the dream'. But then for those AO3 marks you can say how it could actually symbolize Gatsby's dream of Daisy, how that could be moving further and further away from him, and that the green light can be a representation of her.
Reply 134
Original post by JollyGreenAtheist
I've done about 1/3 of my history course.
I've done about 1/4 of my english lit course.
I've done about 2/3 of my sociology.
I've done about 1/2 of my politics.

It will probably remain this way until three days before each respective exam.



For English Lit are you doing OCR? If so, do you know the questions are usually constructed? Is it on individual chapters or themes? Or both?
Original post by Llewellyn
Oh I didn't realise it was you :O sorry :smile:

When I work, I work. I can do ~15 hours a day quite readily. Also, just because the first module is in 4 days, not them all. My exams this time around last a month (8 exams) and some have a week gap between, so I use the time gap between to cross over revision (kinda). Although I do not recommend doing so! Don't be lazy like I am (especially over the holidays :colondollar:) start your work early, it helps :smile:


Oh right! I was under the impression you write up all your notes, for all your subjects, in 4 days :biggrin: makes more sense if its 4 days per module :biggrin:

I've already started :biggrin: nearly got my unit 1s revised for chemistry n biology, and i'm moving onto unit 2s on saturday :biggrin:
Original post by Unsworth
So for Great Gatsby I can talk about the theme of the deterioration of the American Dream, which is all about how everyone strived for wealth, moved from West to East all in the pursuit of money and materialistic gain, often becoming deluded from the American Dream - Gatsby being an example of this. Then incorporate the symbol of the green light into it; how it is 'receding before us' and thus that can be a representation of the American Dream also 'receding' as people no longer know the meaning of 'the dream'. But then for those AO3 marks you can say how it could actually symbolize Gatsby's dream of Daisy, how that could be moving further and further away from him, and that the green light can be a representation of her.


Oooh right! :biggrin: sounds great :biggrin: i thought you were going to give different interpretations of each theme.. like some people argue the main theme in the Great Gatsby is corruption, however others would argue dot dot dot lol.
Stat 1 revision at 3am right now... surprisingly effective. It's a badman ting.
Original post by Markz123
For English Lit are you doing OCR? If so, do you know the questions are usually constructed? Is it on individual chapters or themes? Or both?


AQA, sorry mate.
Original post by PeteyB26
Have most of you finished all the content for your exams? We've not finished anything :/

Pah, FINISHED?! We still have 10 poems to analyse, a coursework piece to complete and AN ENTIRE NOVEL to study before our English literature exam in June.

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